Japan....Thank you?

[matsuki]

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Upon arriving at Narita yesterday I was met with a shitstorm at immigration. (they had a line of planes waiting to dump people due to all the icing)

Now there are those "Japan. Thank you." stickers all over the place I still don't quite understand the meaning, are they thanking the reader? Is it a show of thanks from Japan? Are we supposed to be thankful for Japan??? ..but several newb FG's in the mile long line started chanting "Japan....Thank you? More like Japan, not Japanese? Fuck you!" I've never seen sooo many pissed FG before at immigration....

When I looked over, I realized what was going on. there was only a single window open for touristy FG, a single window for Reentry holdin' FG like me, and 5 windows open for Japanese citizens....and when you consider how slow FG immigration processing can be, that's pretty fucked. I probably saw something like 300+ Japanese flash their passports, get a nod, and walk on through, before the 4 people in front of me were cleared and it was my turn. The Japanese citizen side cleared out in less than 10 minutes and I couldn't believe how quick each of them were literally waved through...they don't stamp re-entry or anything? I figured they were just rushing with reason but silly me for assuming they might send some of the agents over to the FG side of things once the crowd on their side cleared. They cleared their section and sat there with no new Japanese coming in. Didn't slow me down personally but damn, what a way to welcome foreigners to your cuntry. I've never seen immigration so fucked before though so maybe it's a new Abe policy to remind FG that they're not privileged in this cuntry like Japanese? WTF?

[Taro Toporific]

Now there are those "Japan. Thank you." stickers all over the place I still don't quite understand the meaning, are they thanking the reader? Is it a show of thanks from Japan? Are we supposed to be thankful for Japan???

I would have guessed that "Japan. Thanks." was for help after 3/11, but it turns out it's mistranslated Domo for Thanks for visiting Japan before tourists have even entered.

thanks-for-visiting.jpg

thanks-for-visiting-info.jpg

jnto.go.jp/arashi/en/

For Truth-in-Advertising, Japanese Immigration believes in the official slogan of the National Tourism Agency and is giving all the tourists an "Endless Discovery(c)" experience in long Japanese lines.

Endless-Discovery.gif

[matsuki]

japan_endless.jpg

I only used "lines" because really needs the animation to get the point across

[yanpa]

I always assumed it was supposed to be "Japan. Thank you for your kind understanding and consideration. We apologize for the inconvenience" but they couldn't fit all the words onto the sticker.

[matsuki]

I thought it was a warning to tourists to how "English friendly" and easy to understand Japan is.

[legion]

I guess the immigration office and the tourist office don't see eye to eye. The tourist office want lots of thankful foreigners, and the immigration guys think they are going to have to listen to a lot of illegal workers telling them they want to see the temples of Kyoto.

So presented with a policy "Let's encourage lots of illegal workers to come to Japan" the immigration dudes hit back with the first line of defense - long waits at the border.

[yanpa]

I once flew into Japan on a plane from Vienna filled with young blonde buxom Ukrainians, presumably there is some special treatment available for young blonde buxom Ukranians because they were all ushered off into a room off to one side of the immigration queues.

I have actually been ushered over to the 日本国籍 counters on occasion once the 国民 have cleared the area, but the non-reentry lines always seem ridiculously long.

OTOH have you ever tried going through the non-EU citizens line at Heathrow? I went through with the Mrs. last time, and not only did it take longer than any time I've been in the Narita tourist queue, but I was also asked pointed questions about my life, job etc. just to enter my own fucking country (which never happened to me when coming to Japan).

[GomiGirl]

Hubby hates traveling with me to the UK as I swan past with my UK passport and he has to wait in the queue - his least fave thing on earth.

[legion]

UK and Japan will let you all go thru together if you are a family.

[IparryU]

UK and Japan will let you all go thru together if you are a family.

Same for the USA.

Sent from my SC-03E using Tapatalk

[Taro Toporific]

Upon arriving at Narita yesterday I was met with a shitstorm at immigration. (they had a line of planes waiting to dump people due to all the icing)
Now there are those "Japan. Thank you." stickers all over the place I still don't quite understand the meaning, are they thanking the reader? Is it a show of thanks from Japan? Are we supposed to be thankful for Japan??? ..but several newb FG's in the mile long line started chanting "Japan....Thank you? More like Japan, not Japanese? Fuck you!" I've never seen sooo many pissed FG before at immigration...

My tips to boost Japan
~The country should bin the hokey tourism campaigns and offer the world a more modern view~
The Financial Times June 6, 2014 by Tyler Brûlé
Dear Prime Minister Abe,
Greetings from the heart of your capital...While waiting in the immigration queue (you should try flying in and standing in this line sometime – especially if your flight comes in one minute after a packed Korean Air jumbo where no one has filled out their immigration forms)...
<snip>
...I’ve noticed that you’ve been on a bit of a media spending spree of late. From beef promotion to humanitarian initiatives, tourism to inward investment, you have a lot of stories you want to tell – and it seems like you’re having some success letting the world know you’re open for business.
Yet surely you can do better than the dreadful tourism campaign you’re running? Not only does it look tired and dated (Mt Fuji, sushi and sakura), it does nothing to sell your country’s edgier, more intimate side. Then again, it’s perhaps a good thing that it’s not creating a tourism boom because your immigration system needs a complete overhaul.
More...

[havill]

Upon arriving at Narita yesterday I was met with a shitstorm at immigration. (they had a line of planes waiting to dump people due to all the icing)

Now there are those "Japan. Thank you." stickers all over the place I still don't quite understand the meaning, are they thanking the reader?

Sorry, late to the thread. These stickers were originally made in response to 3.11, thanking foreign countries for their support during the disaster and especially to tourists, thanking them for supporting Japan after the disaster by visiting the country.

[matsuki]

Wouldn't it have been better to write "Japan thanks you" or even "3.11 Japan thanks you for your support" ??

[yanpa]

Wouldn't it have been better to write "Japan thanks you" or even "3.11 Japan thanks you for your support" ??

Yes. You must be new in Japan or something

[Tateman]

Reasons Japan should thank foreigners:
"Thanks for helping to increase population by getting Japanese girls pregnant"
"Thanks for making sure you you go home after visting Japan"
"Thanks for taking on the 3 K jobs"

[IparryU]

Reasons Japan should thank foreigners:
"Thanks for helping to increase population by getting Japanese girls pregnant"
"Thanks for making sure you you go home after visting Japan"
"Thanks for taking on the 3 K jobs"

I did my job maintaining population growth. Possibly 2 that i don't know about too.

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[kurogane]

Upon arriving at Narita yesterday I was met with a shitstorm at immigration. (they had a line of planes waiting to dump people due to all the icing......................

Wow, What a douchebag. He should have blamed the Koreans on those flights. They're like overmade-up feral pigs on a shopping holiday. Even for an English journalist with a last name that's a dessert, that kid proves that a newbie can always be just a dumb newbie, even with his "over 100 times in the last decade". Whadda cunt.

"Make English the official language of.............". He sounds stupiderer than anybody on here in a bad mood. But here it's a private rant, not a public spazzout.

OTOH, Havill,

You sound apologetic. Sure it was a nice gesture. Every immigration officer since then has politely expressed the same sentiment. The problem is you sound like a missionary. The sentiment doesn't count if they can't conjugate the verb properly. They insist on sounding like mushmouthed Omiyage salesmen on Teramachi, and I insist on laughing because of that. I think that is our point, speaking presumptuously, as I might be.

[matsuki]

Have you been drinking again Kuro?

I have...

[wagyl]

Wow, What a douchebag. He should have blamed the Koreans on those flights. They're like overmade-up feral pigs on a shopping holiday. Even for an English journalist with a last name that's a dessert, that kid proves that a newbie can always be just a dumb newbie, even with his "over 100 times in the last decade". Whadda cunt.

I take great delight in informing you that Mr Crème Brûlée is a Canadian.
Every other element of your statement is, however, correct.

[havill]

You sound apologetic.

Thank You.

[kurogane]

I take great delight in informing you that Mr Crème Brûlée is a Canadian.
Every other element of your statement is, however, correct.

Aaaaah, eeek. Makes sense, mind: the hipster adoption of British slang (bin as a verb, and a couple of others) and its stilted deployment combined with that reeking sense of personal importance usually means a Canadian suffering from delusions of cosmopolitan sophistication. Crikey, Bruce, even the title of his e-magazine (??) makes him sound like a Mr. Peanut wannabe. The Monocle?? Why not the Pince Nez?

I just looked him up: it turns out he's gay and got shot once, which helps to explain why he writes so badly, uses accents in his name that weren't there at birth and writes about fashion even though he's a dude. I feel somewhat mollified.

Havill,
hahaha. Still, somewhat presumptuous around here, not that it really matters of course. How F'in hard is it to get the copy checked to make sure they've conjugated the verb properly? And we both know the answer to that and don't you try denying it That level of amateur buffoonery deserves ridicule. Hell, they could have just phoned up that cute chick that is or was the ECC Geino-jin mascot thingy. Her American is better than most.

[Russell]

You'd better be careful...

[Coligny]

You'd better be careful...

Well Choko is kewt... But no alphamale material for the Pyrenees... So, I think he's safe...

[matsuki]

Well Choko is kewt... But no alphamale material for the Pyrenees... So, I think he's safe...

amid fears that his sexual dominance is threatening

RAWR!! Japan....THANK YOU!